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Engineering, Building, and Architecture

Not many museums collect houses. The National Museum of American History has four, as well as two outbuildings, 11 rooms, an elevator, many building components, and some architectural elements from the White House. Drafting manuals are supplemented by many prints of buildings and other architectural subjects. The breadth of the museum's collections adds some surprising objects to these holdings, such as fans, purses, handkerchiefs, T-shirts, and other objects bearing images of buildings.

The engineering artifacts document the history of civil and mechanical engineering in the United States. So far, the Museum has declined to collect dams, skyscrapers, and bridges, but these and other important engineering achievements are preserved through blueprints, drawings, models, photographs, sketches, paintings, technical reports, and field notes.

Montgomery C. Meigs, a native of Georgia, graduated from West Point in 1836. As an Army engineer, Meigs was responsible for the construction of the Washington Aqueduct and for overseeing construction of the wings and dome of the U.S. Capitol. During the Civil War he served as Quartermaster General for the United States Army. Meigs retired from the army in 1882, but remained active with various engineering projects in the Washington, D. C. area until his death

Summary

A book of drawings of the Washington Aqueduct, 1858-1859, illustrating reservoirs, tunnels, bridges, culverts, and other elements. Also included is a U.S.Senate document, 1864, relating to the Aqueduct construction. The cover is marked "Progress of the Washington Aqueduct, Profile, 1858-59, Capt. Montgomery C. Meigs, United States Engineers, Washington." 2007 addendum: Scrapbooks of Meigs, containing clippings from Washington, D. C. newspapers concerning the Washington Aqueduct and water supply, engineering projects, building construction, architecture, and other topics, including "Indian Wars."

Cite as

Division of the History of Technology, National Museum of American History

The collection documents work conducted by the Washington Society of Engineers. A large portion of the papers are from the offices of Charles E. Remington, Former Treasurer of the Society. The collection includes administrative records, organizational information, financial records, business records such as meeting minutes, general correspondence, reprints, records of programs and events, academic papers, and reference files on members and activities of the Society